Mike Nadel: Cubbies and Brewers and Cards, oh my!

Monday

CHICAGO - The Cubs and Brewers are separated by only 90 miles but they’re joined by a common bond: futility.

The Cubs and Brewers are separated by only 90 miles but they’re joined by a common bond: futility.

The Brewers never have won a championship, and they haven’t been to the postseason in a quarter-century.

The Cubs, well, you know.

Now here they are, for the first time ever, squaring off in a late-season series that truly matters for both clubs. The opener is tonight at Wrigley Field.

The last time the teams met, two months ago, the Cubs trailed by 7 1/2 games and pretty much had to win two of three just to stay alive. And that’s what they did, thanks in great part to Aramis Ramirez’s walk-off home run in the series opener. Fortunes for both teams turned sharply after that, with the Brewers hitting the skids and the Cubs catching fire to take the division lead.

And now both teams are gasping for air.

The Brewers, 1 1/2 games behind the Cubs and in danger of flatlining, got swept at San Francisco over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Cubs have returned to mediocrity as represented by Ramirez, who has only three homers in the two months since his big hit. He’s batting .167 over the past two weeks, and his swing looks horrible. Even as Alfonso Soriano returns from injury, is Ramirez hurt again?

The struggles in Milwaukee and Chicago have let St. Louis climb into the NL Central ... um, do I really have to call it a “race”?

While the Cubs and Brewers go at it, the Cardinals -- who are 63-64 but just one game behind the Cubs in the loss column -- will be in Houston knowing that if they take care of business, they’ll gain ground.

Yes, the division stinks. So what?

Right about now, all I smell is the bouquet of competition. I plan on having a blast this week at Wrigley.

NL Central fun was just one of the many subjects featured the past few days in my blog, The Baldest Truth (www.thebaldesttruth.com). Excerpts from a few more items follow.

Quote of the Week

“We had a couple fumbles last week. One tonight. That’s making progress as I see it.” - Bears coach Lovie Smith on butterfingered QB Rex Grossman’s mishandling of snaps.

The Bald List

Rex’s top five excuses for literally (and repeatedly) dropping the ball:

1. “My hands were sweaty and the stadium was loud and the cadence was off. Oh, and Michael Vick ate my dog’s homework.”

3. “My dad has very small hands. Why, oh why, couldn’t I have gotten my hands from my mom’s side of the family?”

4. “That’s what preseason’s for. I want to get the fumbles out of the way well before the next Super Bowl.”

5. “Pro Bowl center, my @$&!”

Justice for Jamar?

As if he hadn’t already had enough time to think about what he did wrong, Jamar Smith’s time-out was extended by another whole year.

Smith is the Illini guard who got drunk and plowed his car into a tree last February, hurting himself and teammate Brian Carlwell. Coach Bruce Weber didn’t let him return to the basketball team last season, and Smith later served 15 days in prison for felony aggravated DUI. Now, Weber -- perhaps with some coaching from some of his bosses -- is forcing Smith to miss the upcoming season as a redshirt.

It could have been worse for Smith. He could have been kicked out of school but instead will remain on full scholarship as he attends one of the great public universities in the country. Here’s hoping he will use the time to stay sober and take care of his academics, because pro basketball is not in his future.

Still, the young man did go through the legal system, did serve his time, did miss the end of last season, did suffer great embarrassment and did have to live with the guilt from hurting his friend.

In light of all that, I can’t shake the feeling that this latest measure was excessive.

Frankly, it smacked more of a public-relations move than necessary punishment.

Just Saying

If Cedric Benson and the running game really are this bad, the Bears are in for a tougher season than most prognosticators think.

Rolling the Dice

Harrah’s is planning to build a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas capable of housing an NBA team.